Hatch-opening mechanism.



s. F. MEEK. HATCH OPENING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 5, l9l5.

1 ,2]. 6, l 55 Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

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1m Nam-us Puma 04 r-norc LnNu, wummuom n c STUBGES F. MEEK, OF BROOKLYN,NEVT YORK.

HATCH-OPENING MECHANISM.

Application filed October 5, 1915.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, STURens F. Manx, acitizen of the United States,residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Hatch-Opening Mechanism, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates generally to door opening mechanism.

I contemplate the provision of an automatic latch which will be simplein construction, strong and durable and'positively open able to hold theswinging doors of a hatchway from being opened from the outside by anunauthorized person and thereby prevent such person from gaining accessto the building through the hatchway.

Therefore, it is stated that an essential object of this inventionresides in the provision of latch mechanism carried wholly by theswinging doors of a shaft or hatchway and co-acting means upon the cageto positively control movements of the said latch mechanism onpredetermined positions of the cage in the shaft.

It is specifically stated that a further object of the invention residesin the provision of locking mechanism which will consist of mating orco-acting interlocking elements in which one of said elements will begravita tionally influenced as the cage descends in the shaft and meansupon the cage for regulating the position of oneof said elements withthe other element, as the cage descends and thereby insure a proper andpositive locked condition of the parts automatically when the cage islowered to a certain position in the shaft. V

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which likereference numerals indicate similar parts throughout the several viewsFigure 1 is a section through companion hatchway doors, illustrating thecage conventionally and showing the application of the invention theretoand particularly exhibiting the initial relation of the releasing meansto the locking means.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section therethrough on an enlarged scale takenapproximately on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the next position of the releasingmeans with relation Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 13, 191?.

Serial No. 54,253.

to the locking means, respectively on the rise and fall of the cage inthe shaft.

Fig. 5 is a similar view illustrating the next position of the releasingmeans with relation to the locking mechanism and also showing the meansfor effecting movements of the doors in succession to one another.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the swinging latch element showing thesame in its normal position.

In carrying the invention into practice, no material alterations need bemade in the construction of the cage or doors and for this reason, theirconventional illustrations herein made use of will, it is thought,nicely suffice for a thorough understanding of the invention. However,it is desired to state that the locking mechanism employed herein isprimarily intended to be used on swinging doors such as those shown at 1and 2, and it is further stated that said mechanism is also used in;combination with a cage 3 having a frame 4 which includes vertical sidebars and a connecting arch-shaped top bar 6. The doors 1 and 2 aremounted in a frame A which is counter-sunk in the pavement and asillustrated, said frame is provided with fixed hinge-brackets B havingpivotal connection with the doors. The frame is provided with flanges Cwhich are disposed in the same general plane with the doors, when thelatterare closed and said flanges are adapted to lie in relatively closeproximity to the adjacent edges of the doors so that the joints betweenthe flanges and the doors are closed to such an extent as to render italmost impossible for one to insert a tool therein for the purpose ofprying up the doors. Aside from the above, and perhaps the provision offew other minor parts, the described elements are old and well known inthe art and need not be essentially mentioned as they play no importantpart in carrying the invention into practice. The invention consists ofa bracket affixed to the door 1 and preferably to a reinforcing rib 7thereon and as illustrated, the men tioned bracket includes companioninverted L-shaped plates 88 which are placed in spaced relation to eachother so as to freely receive therebetween a swinging latch element 9forming part of my improved locking mechanism. This latch element isprovided with a shank 10 through which a supporting pin 11 passes, theends of said pin being respectively extended into the vertical flangesof the plates SS. The reinforcing rib 7 is located adjacent to thelongitudinal edge 1 of the door 1 and it is disposed also upon the underside of the door and it mates with the adjacent surfaces thereof so asto define therewith a rabbet 1 for a purpose to be hereinafterexplained. This latch element is provided at its lower end with a head12 which constitutes a weight so that normally said elementgravitationally assumes the position shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 6. Themating element of the locking mechanism consists of an invertedangleiron bar 13 having its flange 14 secured to the door 2 and thenextended to a point beyond the longitudinal edge 2 of the door where itis disposed in the direct path of downward movement of the door 1, andit will be observed that it is thus intended to be accommodated in therabbet 1 of the door 1 when the latter is closed to the position shownin either Figs. 3 or 4-. The vertical depending flange 15 of the bar 13forms a keeper plate for the gravity latch element 9. At this point itis stated that the latch element 9 has its head off-set to form alocking nose 16, which, through the peculiar form or shape of the head12 is adapted to assume a position slightly to one side of the flange 15as shown in Fig. 3, and thereby mutually cooperate therewith to preventmovement of the door 1 in an outward and upward direction by one who maymaliciously tamper with the doors as will be understood. The innersurface 17 of the nose is of arcuate formation and it follows as aresult thereof that the harder one pulls upon the door 1, the greaterthe tendency of the respective elements of the locking mechanism tointer-lock with one another, and in practice it is found to bephysically impossible to manually move the doors to released positions.

The releasing mechanism consists of raising plates 1S1S secured to thearch shaped bar 6 to one side of the joint between the swinging doors 1and 2. These plates rise to a point above the bar 6 and they areprovided with arcuate actuating surfaces 19 which are adapted to comeagainst the under surfaces of bars 20-20 secured to the under side ofthe door 1 as advantageously shown in F ig. 2, the said bars 2020 beingalways superimposed relatively to the mentioned surfaces 19 of saidraising plates. Extending through the space between the plates 1818 is abolt 21, the ends of which find permanent engagement in the plates asalso shown in Fig. 2. Mounted to revolve upon the bolt is ananti-friction roller or sleeve 22. The said bolt is located at a pointmidway between the upper and lower ends of the plates 18-18, while asillustrated, the head 12 of the latch 9 is disposed in the direct pathof upward movement of the bolt in order that the roller can freely comeagainst the uniform relatively curved surface 23 of said head. Thesurface 23 finds its center at a point approximately in linehorizontally with the axis of the pin 11 and as a consequence thereofand owing to the peculiarly related position of the parts, it is seenthat at the moment the roller comes in contact with the extreme lowerend of the surface 23, the swinging latch element will begin itsmovement to a released position from the keeper plate 15. On thisinitial engagement of the roller against the surface 23 the upper endsof the plates 18 will be spaced from the door 1 for a distancesufiicient to permit the swinging latch element to be fully releasedfrom the keeper plate 15 on further movement of the roller over thesurface 23 and before the said plates 1S18 in any way engage against thedoor 1.

Having described the invention specifically, its operation is said to beas follows: Assuming the cage 3 to be in a lowered position in the shaftor in a position as shown in Fig. 1 the swinging latch 9 will bepositively engaged with the keeper plate 15. The position of the cage asshown in Fig. 1 invites initial abutment of the roller 22 against theextreme lower end of the surface 23 and as the cage rises it is evidentthat the roller will freely pass over the said surface 23 and therebycause the nose 16 to be entirely released from the keeper plate 15 andthen simultaneously on the latch assuming such position, the upper endsof the surfaces 19 will be brought against the bars 20-20 of the door 1as shown in Fig. 4:- The latch now being free from the plate 15 and thesurfaces 19 having been initially presented against the said bars 20--20, it is observed that further movement in an upper direction of thecage will successively cause the door 1 to begin its movement in anopened direction, then, following this operation the bar 6 will beadvanced against the edge 24 of the latch bar 15 so as to start thedoor2 in its movement in an opened direction. When the cage lowers theoperating parts of the releasing and locking mechanism will beinfluenced in an order exactly reversed to that just referred to as willbe understood, but at either time there will exist a successiveoperation of the several parts constituting such mechanism which isnecessary to an operative locking and unlocking respectively at therequisite times. The vertical bars 55 of the frame 4 serve to maintainthe swinging doors 1 and 2 in opened positions when the cage rises to apoint above the surface of the pavement as will be understood.

While the structure described herein is especially designed forapplication to the doors of a hatch way or elevator shaft, I by no meansintend to limit myself to such application as it obviously follows thatit is fully capable of being used in connection with ordinary cellardoors or the like.

What is claimed as new is 1. The combination with companion movabledoors, of a keeper carried by one of said doors, a gravitationallyinfluenced latch normally engaging the keeper and provided with a curvedsurface, and a releasing device operating over said surface to efiectadjustments of the latch relatively to the keeper.

2. The combination with companion movable doors, of a keeper carried byone of said doors, a gravitationally influenced latch normally engagingthe keeper and provided with a curved surface, and a releasing deviceoperating over said surface to effect adjustments of the latchrelatively to the keeper, and means for moving the doors successivelywith movement of the latch.

3. The combination with companion movable doors, of a keeper carried byone of said doors, a gravitationally influenced latch normally engagingthe keeper and provided with a curved surface, a releasing deviceoperating over said surface to effect adjustments of the latchrelatively tothe keeper, and means for moving the doors succesively tomovement of the latch, whereby the door provided with the latch willopen ahead of the door provided with the keeper and the door providedwith the keeper will close ahead of the door provided with the latch.

In testimony whereof I, aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

STURGES F. MEEK.

Witnesses:

ANNA V. Donn, GEO. A. BYRNE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

